Many quilters say that your binding should be no more than 1/4 inch wide, that anything more than that is distracting.
The wall hanging shown on the left has red binding that is 1/4 wide showing on the front of the quilt.
The overall size of the wall hanging is 36 inches by 36 inches, and one consideration of the width of your binding might be the size of the quilt.
For example, a 1 inch binding around a small quilt or wall hanging might look too large. Or it might look like just another border - which is not a bad thing, just different.
On the other hand, the quilt on the right was finished with a 1 inch binding.
This does give the wall hanging the effect of having a border and no binding. The binding is a double-fold, straight-grain binding, giving it the added strength of the two layers of fabric around the outside of the quilt, while saving me the time of adding a border and then a binding. It was sewn onto the quilt just as any other binding would be sewn onto a quilt.
In addition, because this is a really interesting print, I was able to showcase the print with the width and not have the distraction of a bias binding.
Yes, I could have used the print at a border and then added a solid color, probably dark (navy blue or black) binding. However, the story of this quilt is that it was a kindergarten art project of my quilting daughter, Stephanie (many years ago), that we converted into a wall hanging.
Considering the use of the quilt, we decided to create the binding extra wide and not have a border.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
Learn 6 Different Ways to Bind Your Quilts with Perfection - You'll Have Smooth and Square Mitered Corners; Hand Sewn Blind Stitches that are Completely Hidden; a Smooth Closing Where the Beginning and End of the Binding Meets; and Even Edges All the Way Around Your Quilt.
www.HowToBindAQuilt.com
